Rugby-Bulls confirm Vermeulen signing for 2019 Super Rugby season

2 Min Read

PRETORIA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Number eight Duane Vermeulen has been confirmed as a signing for South African Super Rugby side the Bulls for the 2019 season in a move that had been mooted for some months.

Vermeulen returns to Super Rugby for the first time since leaving the Stormers for Toulon in 2015 as he seeks to cement his place in the Springbok squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

“Duane is an amazing rugby player and is well respected around the world,” Bulls high performance manager Xander Janse van Rensburg said in a statement on Friday.

“We firmly believe that his abrasive style of play and experience will add immense value to our Super Rugby campaign next year.”

Three-time winners the Bulls finished 12th in the 2018 Super Rugby season under head coach John Mitchell, who has since left to take up the role of defence coach for England.

Vermeulen, 32, has been included in the Boks’ training squad for their November internationals having missed the Rugby Championship due to club commitments in Japan. (Reporting By Nick Said; editing by Clare Fallon)